1. BALANCED NUTRITION AT WORK
The European FOOD project:
a successful Public Private Partnership
FINAL PUBLICATION
FOOD: Fighting Obesity through Offer and Demand
This publication arises from the project FOOD which has received funding from the European Union, in the framework of the Public Health Programme.
The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. The sole responsibility lies with the author.

2. Author: Ruth Soroko, City University London
This publication arises from the FOOD project,
co-funded by the General Directorate for Health and Consumers (DG SANCO)
Contacts details:
Media Relations
Anne-Sophie SIBOUT – anne-sophie.sibout@edenred.com
Public Affairs
Nathalie RENAUDIN– nathalie.renaudin@edenred.com
May 2011

3. TABLE OF CONTENTS
page 2 Glossary
page 3 Introduction to the final publication
page 4 Summary
page 5 Rational for the project
page 6 The objectives of the FOOD project
page 7 The Partners
page 8 The first stages of the programme
page 10 Recommendations for restaurants
page 11 Recommendations for employees
page 12 The road show: the launch of the tools
page 13 Employee and restaurant tools
page 16 The survey of evaluation - main findings
page 19 Country relevant results and evaluation of the recent
survey - new tools for the last stage of the project
page 21 The next stages and the future of the project
1

4. Glossary
Chef:
Staff working in a restaurant kitchen
Clients/Customers:
People eating in a restaurant. Mostly refers to employees having lunch in a restaurant
Communication tools:
The deliverables of the project that helped to reach the targets
Company:
Describes the workplace where Employees are working
Employees:
People who work in companies.
Can be referred to as customers or clients in a restaurant setting
Employer:
The Human Resources Manager or the CEO of a company
FOOD:
Acronym for Fighting Obesity through Offer and Demand
FOOD countries:
Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Spain and Sweden
FOOD project:
The 28 months long pilot project co-funded by the European Commission
FOOD programme:
The term used to describe the next phase of the pilot project, which is open to new partners
Meal voucher:
Generic term for Ticket Restaurant®. In the case of the FOOD project, this is the main channel of
communication between restaurants and employees
Mystery visits:
Unannounced visits to restaurants were conducted as part of the evaluation process
Restaurant:
General term to describe where employees have lunch, outside the workplace premises
(unlike workplace canteens)
Survey:
Two types of questionnaires - qualitative and quantitative - directed at the two target groups
2

5. Note
This document offers a summary of the 28 months long pilot project. Methodology and aims of the project
are presented together with the tools that were developed. This summary further explains the rational
behind the actions taken and the project implementation in the participating countries.
The purpose of this publication is to provide information to those who are interested in the promotion of
healthy eating habits for employees in the workplace.
“It will be essential to build partnerships between all stakeholders such as government, civil
society, the private sector, professional networks, the media and international organisations,
across all levels (national, sub-national and local).”
World Health Organisation (2006), European Charter on counteracting obesity, Article 2.3.5
“Workplaces are important settings for health promotion and disease prevention. People
need to be given the opportunity to make healthy choices in the workplace in order to
reduce their exposure to risk. Further, the cost to employers of morbidity attributed to non-
communicable diseases is increasing rapidly. Workplaces should make possible healthy food
choices and support and encourage physical activity.”
World Health Organisation (2004), Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health
“Businesses can also support the development of healthy lifestyles in the workplace.
Together with employee organisations, they should also develop proposals/guidelines for
ways in which companies of different sizes can introduce simple, cost-effective measures to
promote healthy lifestyles of employees.”
European Commission (2007), White Paper on nutrition, overweight and obesity-related health issues
3

6. Summary
The FOOD project was created as a Public Private Partnership wishing to address the rising concern of
obesity in Europe. The EU Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health provided the policy
framework for the project with DG SANCO securing the funding through their Executive Agency for Health
and Consumers (EAHC).
Experts joined by a common objective to promote healthy eating, proposed a 5-step project to create and
implement workplace healthy lifestyle interventions.
The two main objectives of the project are:
To improve the nutritional habits of employees by raising their awareness
to health issues.
Through work with restaurants, to improve the nutritional quality
of the food on offer.
To meet these objectives, the FOOD project has created essential channels of communication between the
companies and the restaurants using its unique network of contacts, following five complementary sets
of actions:
A review of existing health promotion programmes in the workplace and in restaurants was
followed by two questionnaires. The first was a quantitative survey, addressing employees
(52,000) and restaurants (5,000) to better understand the project’s needs. The second,
a qualitative study, was done by conducting 50 interviews in restaurants in 12 countries.
Following a comparative study of the surveys’ results, recommendations were made
by the partners.
Simple tools were developed, adapted and piloted for restaurants and companies.
Pilots were evaluated.
Following the evaluation, tools were adapted and best practises disseminated.
The partners have decided to continue developing and disseminating the project after the end of the funding
period and the support from the European Commission.The partners are motivated to take advantage of the
actions, experience and results of the project and create an easily adaptable programme. The methodology
developed and the many deliverables should act as an incentive to encourage new partners from other
countries to join the consortium.
From Project to Programme, FOOD is an example of a long term, efficient and
sustainable partnership initiated thanks to EU funds.
4

7. The project background and rational
In 2008, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that more than 1,5 billion people suffer from
overweight worldwide, including 500 million from obesity. In Europe, 130 million people are obese. 53% of
the European population is considered overweight.
The European Union is actively engaged in the fight against obesity and excess weight, through an integrated
strategy to promote health.The White Paper on the strategy for Europe on nutrition, overweight and obesity
highlighted the importance of the private and public sectors working together. One of the key ways the EC
delivers on this is through the EU Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health. Funding for such
joint initiatives is often provided by the Executive Agency for Health and Consumers (EAHC).
As specified in the European Commission White Paper (2007) with regards to nutrition, companies can
contribute to the promotion of a healthy way of life at work taking simple and cost effective measures toward
improving the well-being of their employees thus tackling obesity.
In large companies, increasingly there is access to better nutrition at lunchtime in workplace canteens. In
small businesses that do not provide food, employees who go out for lunch, find it harder to locate healthy
options in the surrounding restaurants and food outlets.
Companies, of any size or in any country still remain an important setting for promoting healthy eating and
as an information channel to their employees.
A balanced diet brings with it well-being for employees that will result in their increased productivity; this
in turn will decrease rates of absenteeism. Report from The international Labour Organisation points out
that employees that have access to healthy eating, increase their productivity by up to 20% (“Food at Work”,
International Labour Office, Geneva, 2005).
Meal vouchers - a social equaliser
Many people around the world spend more than half their waking hours at work. Quite often at worksites,
workers are of a similar social and ethnic background, education and gender. This makes the setting an ideal
target for workplace interventions. Despite being a “captive” audience, they are quite often neglected when it
comes to targeted interventions. In order to perform well, employees need to be well fed and rested.
The lunch break is one basic element for good health and well-being for a healthy workforce/an employee.
The lunch voucher was created more than fifty years ago to meet employees’ needs when they did not have
access to a canteen, especially in small businesses where setting up a canteen was not economically feasible.
Initially, lunch vouchers provided employees with a hot meal yet now priorities have changed and more and
more employees are looking for healthy solutions at lunchtime. This is due to the shift in dietary imbalance
from under-consumption to over-consumption. Addressing these issues is a challenge for employers and
policy-makers alike.
Meal vouchers are seen as a powerful channel of communication between the customers and the restaurants
and a tool to promote healthy messages to employees at lunchtime.
5

8. The FOOD project objectives
FOOD (Fighting Obesity through Offer and Demand) is a European project which, using its unique approach,
aims to promote nutritionally balanced meals. By working jointly with restaurant managers and employees/
consumers, FOOD is endeavouring to create an original, essential channel between Offer and Demand to
influence eating habits during the workday while at the same time improving the food on offer.
The FOOD project was established in 2008 by a Public Private Consortium, coordinated by Edenred
following the success of the pilot programme “Food and Balance” in 12 different countries. This programme,
which was promoted to the vast network of meal vouchers affiliates, provides information to restaurant
managers and their customers about the main principles of healthy eating through simple, concrete nutritional
recommendations. This was done using a mascot in the shape of a smiling tomato named “Gustino”. This
easily recognisable symbol was displayed on the menus of 1,500 restaurants in France, allowing customers to
identify the dishes that comply with the rules of a varied, balanced diet.
Following the pilot programme in France, Edenred wished to adapt and expand the programme to other
European countries, developing it so that it becomes accessible to a larger number of consumers meeting
their dietary needs. For this purpose, Edenred called on specialists with political, economic, social and medical
expertise to advise further on workplace interventions, initiating a European wide project.
A public-private consortium was created in six countries together with nutritionists, Public Authorities
and Universities. FOOD meets the requirements of the EU action programme laid down by the European
Commission in the area of health and consumer protection, particularly in its fight against obesity.
The FOOD partnership is highly committed to the achievement of these objectives.
The project targets restaurants and the workplace, both an essential part of personal well-being, quite often
neglected. Improving the dialogue between the two provided an opportunity to influence the nutritional
quality of the restaurants’ menus thus improving the lifestyles and habits of their customers.
Through a series of concrete actions planned over a two-year period between 2009 and 2011, the FOOD
project has been seeking to:
Enable consumer choice through improved information and increased
awareness, communicated via employers in companies to their employees
to help them improve their diet during the workday.
Improve the nutritional quality of the offer by working closely with
restaurant managers and chefs.
FOOD has allied with the European motto “United in Diversity” (www.europa.eu/abc/symbols) to promote
balance eating, by adapting its campaign to the lifestyles and specific cultural habits of each of the six countries
involved: Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Spain and Sweden.
The project, run in parallel in all the six countries, has a common basis but set different targets for each
partner country. This allows for cultural variations in the local situations and for differences resulting from
existing local health promotion campaigns. The experts involved are able to analyse and centralise the best
practices from each member country, giving added value to the recommendations that are then implemented
by the various institutions at work on the project.
6

9. The Partners
Based on a public-private partnership, the richness of the FOOD project lies in the complementary skills and
expertise of its participants. The consortium is made up of 25 partners whose contribution is indispensable
in designing and implementing the programme.
The consortium comprises of the following members
Main partner
Edenred is the world leader in prepaid corporate services, with 34, 5 million users and 1,2 million affiliated
service providers worldwide, who are part of Ticket Restaurant® system. The company is attempting to make
the most of this unique cooperation between the private and public sectors, using its core business to globally
promote beneficial public policy objectives amongst very specific target groups that are difficult to reach. Meal
vouchers can act as a launch pad for effecting a change of employee food and lifestyle habits. Furthermore,
the project is in perfect harmony with Edenred’s stated corporate social responsibility goals, of which access
to balanced nutrition is a key priority.The main partner is responsible for the coordination of the project and
for the dissemination of the information and results.
Associated partners
Nutritionists, Public Authorities and Universities make up the body of associated partners in the FOOD
project. They play a significant role in the various project phases according to their expertise and skills and
act as a guarantee to the project’s ambitious high quality results and considerable added value.
Collaborating Partners
Collaborating Partners form the External Advisory Board of experts on the project. As public and private
consultants, their role is to:
Analyse the pilot programmes and the results of the actions undertaken.
Share ideas and contribute specific expertise.
Offer advice and recommendations, with an emphasis on best practices.
All along the project, new collaborating partners have joined the Consortium: Agriculture Ministry in France,
Generalitat de Catalunya, Guidelines for the Prevention of Obesity at the Workplace (GPOW) and NutriChallenge.
Partners
Academies Public Health Ministries Nutritionists Collaborating Partners
Edenred, the 6 national offices coordinate the project operation
Belgium Czech Republic France Italy Spain Sweden
Public Health - Agency for Food
Federal Public Safety and Nutrition
Service (SFP SP) Centre of Research (AESAN)
University of Perugia Karolinska
of Institut
(Move Europe) Institutet
Paul Bocuse
Centre for Fundación Dieta
STOB
Information and Mediterránea
(Stop Obesity)
Research on Food (FDM)
Intolerance and
Hygiene (HELdB-
CIRIHA) The National FOOD
Medical School
Administration
of Lyon
Key Hole Programme
European Network
for Workplace FOOD Pro-Fit
City University of International
Prevent, Belgium EuroToques Health Promotion (Government of the
London, England Labour Office (ILO)
(ENWHP) Balearic Islands)
External Advisory Board / Collaborating Partners
7

10. The first stages of the programme
The project was launched in 2009. The first course of action was decided upon after identifying the needs and
expectations from employees and restaurant staff. This was done by consolidating results from existing initiatives,
conducting a survey and a qualitative study of restaurants and their attitudes toward healthy food. The first
assessments were done on a national scale and later collated to create cross-project tools.
A detailed inventory of existing programmes related to nutritional interventions was first conducted. This review
of existing programmes was carried out in order to try and understand what has been done so far in the various
countries regarding interventions to promote healthy eating through a work setting.The focus of the review, were
initiatives targeting balanced food in restaurants and for employees in a company setting. It focused especially at
existing programmes in the six partner countries and where relevant, further countries were covered such as:
Hungary, Canada, Chile and Switzerland.
70 programmes matched the review criteria and were entered into the study.
In these categories:
Programmes that aimed to increase participants’ level of awareness in relation
to a particular health area. In these cases, participants were expected to make
changes in health behaviour as a result of increased awareness.
Programmes that aimed to directly change the health behaviour of the
employees using a variety of interventions such as skills training and self-help.
Programmes that promoted a sustainable, healthy lifestyle through creating a
workplace environment that supports and encourages healthy food choices.
Out of those 70 programmes, 52 targeted employees, 13 targeted restaurants and 5 related to both or had
other target audiences. Quite often the projects reviewed used similar methods of engagement such as: health
fairs, educational classes and health assessments coupled with digital and printed promotional material. On
the whole there was a lack of sufficient evaluation and even in the programmes that were evaluated (only
53%), this was not done in a rigorous enough way.
Operational conclusions from the review were: to offer a free programme open to all in order to have the
greatest impact; launch a website, as this seems to have been a commonly chosen tool as were other visual
and oral communication methods that were considered (see diagram).
Communication tools
100%
Companies / employees (52)
80% Restaurants (13)
Both / Others (5)
60%
40%
20%
0%
rs ion ing sit
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ste sit ch eb -m l, lo tio te DV fru
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o po oa t, e be lta on o, e
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e
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Nu on ou
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8

11. Following the review, a survey was launched, with two questionnaires: one targeted at restaurants (5,000) and
the other at employees (52,000).The survey was conducted in each of the participating countries by Edenred,
designed by the Information and Research Center about Food Intolerances and Hygiene (CIRIHA) and the
Institute Paul Bocuse and later analysed by the Institute Paul Bocuse, in France.
The results of the surveys for both target groups (employees and restaurants) have been
analysed and have helped in identifying the needs and defining the following messages to
guarantee the success of the project:
The messages should be original (to avoid a feeling of “déjà vu”), remain positive (give suggestions rather
than instructions), adapted to each culture and habits and to the different target audience
(waiters, chefs, restaurants owners, customers, employers, employees, occupational health professionals, trade
unions), and use as many channels of communication as possible. It could also be the opportunity
to raise awareness regarding physical activity.
Findings from the restaurant survey make it clear that there is a need to demonstrate that changes can be made with
little effort and do not require massive changes, to comply with the guidelines. Restaurants need to be convinced that
by making changes to their modes of cooking they are responding to a growing demand from their customers.
As for the employers, the results emphasise the importance of introducing them to the goals of the project.
They, together with HR managers and occupational health professionals need to see the potential benefits of
the project before making a long-term commitment.
The surveys have identified barriers to change from customers and restaurants alike, which relate to the often
negative image of healthy food. The main barriers identified were:
1. Healthy food is more expensive, takes more time and is more complicated to prepare.
2. The food is not tasty, rather like a type of diet.
3. Balanced food is not part of traditional cooking and is rather a passing trend.
These results demonstrate that there are many myths and misconceptions regarding balanced food, which
need to be taken into account if the project is to change cooking and eating habits.
Four areas of action were identified:
Motivation: Education: Policy: Synergies and
through measures through training, improving offer in events:
such as contests, printed and digital vending machines, getting different
promotions, and media, recipe books, getting restaurants to partners and actors
various incentives. workshops and commit. to cooperate through
conferences etc. offer of regular
activities.
In parallel with the quantitative survey, a qualitative restaurant study has been conducted in 2009.This survey was
conducted in twelve countries and five restaurants were chosen in each country. The aims of the survey were to
understand how and why chefs cook the way they do, and what could trigger a change in attitude.The next stage
was to try and convince restaurants that cooking healthily has many benefits with no additional costs.
The 45 interviews led in the European countries have shown that there is a real positive attitude toward balanced,
healthy eating mostly thanks to an increase in customer demand for these types of food. Giving an answer to this
demand is the first to motivate the restaurants owners’ to commit to change.
Nevertheless, there is confusion concerning the definition of balanced food. Many interviewees think that
their “cuisine” is already healthy, traditional and/or natural (“Mediterranean food is healthy”,
“olive oil is healthy”, etc.) yet do not pay attention to the use of fat, or cooking methods.
These restaurants were more often found in the south of Europe.
9

12. Following a consolidation of the results from all surveys, experts outlined recommendations at national scale
for restaurants and for employees.
A few recommendations for each of the target groups were agreed as common across the project and the
rest remained specific to each country, to match cultural preferences.
To avoid the creation of multiple health messages, the project does not mean to create
new national recommendations but rather build on existing national plans thus helping
each target group apply these during the working day.
Here are
some selected
recommendations ing to o
o t re qu ire add
for restaurants g met h od s th at do n gr il li ng.
Fav ou r co ok in g , ro a st ing , or
to improve the
much fat, su ch a s steam in six countries.
nutritional content mmen dation for the
common reco
of the dishes on This is the only
offer without
e.
additional costs. The lt on th e ta bl
I do n o t pu t sa
d
oyees ad vised not to ad
country where the with the empl
recommendation is Belgium . Parallel made
ing it.
sh before tast
applied is written salt to their di
below. pe ci a ll y w it h
ble sa lads, es
ge of ve ge ta
In crea se ra n
ed oi l added .
ol ive or ra pe se ing
ant in the sala
is determin
ds and
ublic. Season
Czech Rep
r.
vegetables offe
cl ie n ts .
y of fe r ta p wate r to m y
I au tom atica ll ployees advise
d to prefer
llel mad e with the em
France. Para
water at lunchtime.
si zes .
in t wo p orti on
O ff er di sh es ate of vegetables on
the side.
est having a pl
It aly. May sugg
u.
lt h y op ti on s on th e men
C le a rl y iden ti fy th e h ea l.
to choose wel
der to he lp customers
Spain. In or
b a la n ce d
ati on a b ou t
y mod el” a s in fo rm
Use th e ”t ra
mea ls . the FOOD
encour aged to use s.
ustomers are y specific tool
Sweden. C e of the countr
ns through the us
recommendatio
10

13. Ta ste th e fo od be fo re
adding sa lt an d/or tr
Quite often people ad
y
ot he r co ndimen ts .
d salt without tasting the
amounts of salt added food first. This leads to
which is unhealthy, the unnecessar y
being no more than 6g recommended daily int
(about one teaspoon). ake for adults
Lo we r th e us e of fat
an d pref erably us e ve
Try and replace satura
ge
ta ble oil s.
ted fats (which can inc
with unsaturated ones reased the risk of heart
- such as olive oil - to im problems),
prove blood lipid levels
.
Eat at lea st 5 po rt ion
s of fr uit/veget ables
The recommended mi pe r day. Here are
nimum daily intake of some selected
is 400g, or 5 portions. fruit and vegetables in
It is important to consid most countries recommendations
as this will contribute tow er this when choosing
ard the daily consumpti a lunch meal, for employees in
on.
order to give them
As a de ss ert, ch oo se
a fresh fr uit ba se d op the keys to choose a
alter native, a da iry tio n an d some times
produc t. as an more balanced meal
According to the countr at lunchtime or more
y, dairy consumption rec
ommendations var y. generally during the
Ch oo se ty pe s of co ok working day.
ing th at do no t add to
ro as ting, gr ill, etc.). o much fat (steami ng The country where
,
the recommendation
To minimise the addition
of fat, already present
in many foods. is applied is written
below.
Ch oo se wate r to ac co
mp any yo ur lun ch .
Water is essential to the
body. Consumption sho
uld be of 1,5 litres to 2
These 6 recomm litres.
endations are co
mmon to the 6 co
untries.
I on ly have treats on
sp ec ial oc ca sio ns .
Belgium. Following
a balanced nutrition do
avoiding sweets, cakes, es not mean frustration
crisps, etc ., just having and completely
them in moderation.
Fr uit or ve ge ta ble s co
uld he lp su pp re ss hu ng
er be t we en ma in me
Czech Republic. Sn
ac ks are not a problem.
als .
Simply choose healthy
ones.
Why no t ch oo se fish
as a ma in dish?
(Th e co ns um pt ion of
fish is re commen de d at
France. The French lea st t wice a we ek ).
rec ommendations are we
ekly based.
Do no t co ns ume to o mu
ch bread, es pe cia lly in
wh ole bread. be t we en dishe s an d pr
ef er
Italy. Grains are an im
portant part of the diet,
yet should not be excess
ively consumed.
Some days we co uld do
wi th ou t me at. Th e co
ce re als is a go od alter mbin at ion of leg umes
native. an d
Spain. Meat offers pro
teins but also fat.
Ch oo se th e Ke yh ole me
al.
Sweden. The Keyho
le programme, well kn
them to guarantee a he own to Swedish consum
althier choice. ers, is a way for
11

14. The Road Show
The FOOD project was launched to the public in October 2009 with a Road Show, which was the result
of ten months of intensive work for all the partners. It represented the official launch of the project. The
campaign was “kicked off” with a special double-decker bus visiting the six countries participating in this
European project. The journey started in Paris and then continued on to Brussels, Stockholm, Prague, Milan
and ended in Madrid. With the help of professionals such as nutritionists, dieticians and chefs, the general
public together with employees and guests from the restaurant sector, had the opportunity to learn about
the aims of the project. The bus raised interest in all city centres and attracted many visitors and journalists.
The main activities that took place in the various cities were:
Short seminars on healthy food.
Advice from nutritionists on eating habits.
Chef demonstrations and preparations of easy to
cook, healthy dishes.
Measurement of BMI and fat/muscle/water in the
body calculations against one’s ideal weight.
Use of an overweight simulator with a 10kg belt to
find out what it feels like to weigh an extra 10kg.
Quizzes, tests and advice about healthy food,
understanding food labels and the nutritional value
of foods.
The daily sessions discussed healthy eating, balanced diet and how eating
lunch in a restaurant should be compatible with a healthy lifestyle within
the context of professional life.
“The road show was the first unveiling of the project to the
target audiences”, says Nathalie Renaudin, Public Affairs Director
and in charge of the FOOD programme. “The long line outside the bus
in Spain was truly memorable; it was incredible to see so many people
waiting to participate in the bus’s activities and it demonstrated the real
interest of the public. Conferences on balanced nutrition in Belgium and
Italy also gathered many visitors. The vegetable garden set out in Paris
was marvellous. In addition, in the Czech Republic, the shows organised
by comedians as well as the activities to measure the BMI and the high
cholesterol were really successful. In almost all countries, chefs used
a very original approach to address balanced food. They performed
cooking demonstrations and managed to show how easily taste and
pleasure can be combined with balance.”
3
2
1
4
5
6
12

15. Employee and restaurant tools
In the first stage of the project, a set of tools was created to provide practical advice and assist in implementing
the recommendations to encourage healthy choices.
The tools were aimed at restaurant professionals (chefs, owners, staff) and at the employees in companies.
All the tools shared the same objective of providing practical guidelines, simple to understand and to follow,
respecting the professional constraints of the restaurant owners and chefs and trying to help people cook
healthier at home. The tools aimed at the employees are to be used when eating out, but can help in forming
lifelong healthy behaviours.
The communication tools can be divided into digital and printed material. The digital tools were similar in
all countries, adapted to local cultural differences. The printed material was more individualised and each
member country chose the ones most suitable to its needs. In the next few pages is a selection of some
of the material produced for employers/employees and for the restaurants.
The main tool used for communication
was the website, where all tools are
downloadable and free of charge. A
cross-European version was created
in all the languages spoken in the six
countries plus English (www.food-
programme.eu). Some countries have
created their own site.
Website
A leaflet was printed in a standard
format for all countries. Leaflet
13

16. A set of cards explaining each of the ten
recommendations has been created to convey
the messages of the project to the employees.
A certificate is sent to all restaurants committing
to deliver the recommendations on entering the
FOOD network.
A short film explaining the recommendations
is available on a Belgian site, on: www.explania.
com/fr/animations/detail/une-alimentation-sain
I COMMIT MYSEL
CERTIFIC ATE
F TO THE
WELLBEING OF
MY CLIENTS
The European proj
ect FOOD Fruits as dessert and
(Fighting Obesit
y through Offer
and Demand) vegetables on the
Whole bread on side
certifies that the table
resta urant
No salt on table
…………………… Poultry or white
………… meat on the menu
Fish on the menu
is part of the FOOD Tapwater on dema
network and make nd
the commitmen s
t to apply the Olive oil in place of
cards
national recommend following butter with bread
of the FOOD prog ations Dairy product as
Set of
ram for the impro dessert
ve-
ment of its client
s nutrition. Dry fruits or crud
enesses as apetizers
Oven, steamed
or grilled dishe
s
The FOOD Natio
nal Coordinator
The Restaurant Owne
r
C100M100J35N35
C0M87J87N0
This folder arises
from the
The European Commission project FOOD which has received
is not responsible funding from the
for any use that European Union,
may be made of in the framework
the information of the Public Health
contained therein. Programme.
The sole responsibili
ty lies with the author.
Certificate
The FOOD cooking game is available on the
website. The game tests the user’s culinary
knowledge in preparing a few balanced recipes.
Chefs from the six participating countries have
put together the recipes, and the objective
is to prepare them correctly in the shortest
possible time.
me
OOD cooking ga
Website: F
One of the best received tools
so far has been the “Seasonal
fruit and vegetable calendar”.
It has been produced in six
languages.
Calendar
14

17. In Sweden, the
FOOD project has
joint forces with the
national Keyhole
programme; a
network of dedicated
restaurants
that follow the
national health
recommendations.
The tools designed
are specific to the
Traymat
Swedish customers.
The Spanish guide to the
employees explains all
the recommendations in
detail and provides tips
and examples.
dations
Guide with recommen
Meal voucher booklet
The FOOD project was
advertised on the Meal voucher
booklet in the different
countries (examples from the
Czech Republic and France).
Equilibra - the Spanish customer newsletter
has a fixed section on healthy eating and
the Italian newsletter discussing issues of
health and nutrition.
The target audiences of such newsletters
are Ticket Restaurant® customers = more
than 184,500 companies in the six countries.
Newsletter
15

18. Evaluation of the employee and restaurant surveys
In 2010, a second survey was conducted in each of the six participating countries towards 52,000 employees
and 5,000 restaurants. Two questionnaires were designed by the Karolinska Institute and the Paul Bocuse
Institute, with the results analysed by the latter. Employees were recruited by email to participate in an
online survey. In total, 6,185 employees responded. Restaurant owners were also contacted via email (apart
from Belgium, where part of the survey was conducted over the phone). A smaller number of restaurateurs
responded - 325 in total - which suggests that email may not be a good communication tool in this case and
that caution should be taken when drawing conclusions from the restaurant survey.
Employee survey results
The respondents were made up of 31% men and 69% women. Almost half of the sample (49.3%) consisted of
employees aged 35 to 50 years. The age ratio varied across the different countries. The Czech and Swedish
samples consisted of a higher proportion (46%) of respondents older than 50 years.
According to the health perception of the respondents, 58% perceived that they ate rather healthily. This
corresponds with the BMI analysis according to which 43% of respondents were overweight or obese. On
the whole, greater proportion of the Spanish, Swedish and Italian respondents tended to perceive their diet
to be healthy, compared to the rest of the sample.
Choosing from a list of 7 descriptions of balanced food, 73% of respondents chose “balanced food” to mean:
varied food in moderate amount eaten in a nice environment. “Eating pleasant food while at the same time
protecting your health” was the second most popular choice.
Familiarity with health programmes and the FOOD project
The majority (65%) of respondents in all countries were not aware of programmes promoting healthy or
balanced food, but most of these respondents said they would like to get information about them. A total of
19% of respondents had seen the FOOD logo, but only 3% also claimed to be familiar with it. This represents
170 employees who claimed to have been familiarised with the project mainly through internet based materials
(such as the FOOD website, company intranet, email, social networks). Those who were familiar with the
FOOD project demonstrated good knowledge of its recommendations and claimed it was the captive message
that most caught their attention in it. Taking into consideration the time frame and the type of respondents,
the results were received as encouraging by the External Advisory Board members. The next surveys, foreseen
under the FOOD programme are expected to provide more information about the awareness, understanding
and use of the information to improve the nutritional quality of meals eaten at lunchtime.
How many times per week Never, I do not eat lunch
during my working days
do you take a break to have lunch
during your working day? 4%
Sometimes
11%
Often
10%
Every working day
75%
16

19. Lunch habits
75% of respondents took a lunch break every day. This was down from the 78.8% who participated in the 2009 survey.
In all countries, over 67% of respondents reported going to at least one type of restaurant; most of them in Spain
(88%).The main reason given for not eating in a restaurant was bringing food from home. Not having a restaurant
or cafeteria in proximity of the office and not having the time to go out were the other main reasons given.
Quick service was the main factor in choosing a venue, for those going out to eat in a restaurant. Offer of
varied meals and being close to the office were the next important criteria. The price was fifth on the list
followed by the nutritional quality of the food on offer. The least important factors were staff knowledge and
willingness to help with meal choice and the availability of printed nutritional information.
The main factor in choosing what to eat remains to be the customer’s desire for certain type of food. This
is, however, slightly less significant than in the 2009 results. A balanced dish was the second most important
factor (39.3%); up from 2009 by 11.5%.
At lunch time, which
The waiter’s advice 4,3%
3,4% of the following may affect
your decision-making
8,2% on what to eat:
The choice of people I am with
9,0%
The « dish of the day » 23,5%
or speciality of the house 19,3%
2010
The food available
25,7%
(what is being offered/served) 2009
My appetite / the quantity of 26,0%
food contained in the plate 24,8%
The price 32,4%
21,2%
What is good for me 39,3%
(the balance of the dish) 27,8%
What I want 56,0%
at the present time 60,0%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Restaurant survey results
The number of respondents in each country was too small to allow for reliable per-country analysis of
the results, and the data was therefore pooled. In this survey, like in the employee survey, the majority of
respondents were aged between 35 and 50 years.
In all restaurant types surveyed, the majority of the clientele (82.5%) were workers/professionals. 64% of the
restaurants offered a special lunch deal (such as dish, menu or special offer). A fixed menu was offered in 57%
of those offering a special lunch deal.
Familiarity with health programmes and the FOOD project
As with the employee survey, the majority of respondents (70.5%) were not aware
of a programme promoting healthy or balanced food, but 51.4% would be open
to learning more about them.
17

20. 31% of the respondents had seen the FOOD logo or material, but only 10% were familiar with it. This
represents 32 respondents for whom the captive message had been the main thing that caught their attention.
Most of the 32 respondents had used the FOOD website to familiarise themselves with the programme. Only
10 of the 32 restaurants had actually used any of the project tools (marketing and educational material), with
only four claiming to have noticed any benefits to staff or clients from use of these tools.
Promisingly, 24% of the restaurants admitted to noticing an increase in both the demand and sales of healthier
meals and the demand for smaller portion sizes.
The evaluation of the “mystery visits” (unannounced restaurant visits) in
150 restaurants (25 restaurants per country) within the FOOD network
To become acknowledged as a “FOOD restaurant” a country-specific number of recommendations must be
followed in the applicant restaurant (all of the recommendations, 7 out of 10, or less). Recruited via email (Italy),
video-emailing (France), door to door contact (Belgium and Czech Republic) or taking advantage of existing
nutritional schemes (Spain and Sweden), a network of FOOD restaurants was established in each country.
The FOOD network restaurants were actively working towards making the offer meet the demand, to create
more demand for balanced meals among their customers through awareness building with the help of the
FOOD marketing and educational tools.
At the end of the project, after the communication campaign had been running for a few months, more than
1,900 restaurants had joined the FOOD network.
A report of the unannounced visits that took place in March-April 2011 draws a similar picture across the
different countries. Most restaurants visited are independently run. FOOD material was not always available,
possibly because of individual decorative style. This however did not have an impact on the extent to which
the recommendations were carried out in the meal provision.
Based upon the findings, the main point, which should be improved, relates to restaurant staff. This evaluation
suggested that although the restaurant owner had engaged in the FOOD programme, the content of the
recommendations had not been explained to all of the staff, and therefore, some of the recommendations were
not always applied throughout the service (from cooking to meal service). This has been caused by frequent
staff turnover and future tools created could assist in better familiarising staff with the programme and its aims.
On a promising note, the reports from the countries showed that restaurants are adhering to national
recommendations. Between a third and half of all restaurants visited, were carrying out at least 67% of the
national recommendation, with the highest rates in Belgium and the lowest in Spain.
How would you rate
your staff’s level of knowledge
on balanced nutrition? I do not know,
and my staff are not
interested in such We have a high
knowledge. level of knowledge
on this topic.
12%
19%
We have a low level of
knowledge on this, and should
learn some more.
We have a medium level
20% of knowledge on this
topic, and could learn
some more.
23%
The level of knowledge varies
among staff, and we could
learn some more.
26%
18

21. Country relevant results and evaluation from the recent
survey - new tools for the last stage of the project
Following the results of the second survey, it is clear that an effort should be made to increase the dialogue
between the restaurants and the customers stressing the Offer and the Demand sides. The fact that more
than ever, the choice of food depends on its nutritional quality and that unless made available, the trend in
employees bringing food from home will continue to increase, has to be communicated to the restaurants.
This should help them overcome the two main barriers identified in creating healthier dishes, time and budget.
The countries where a national scheme exists (Keyhole in Sweden, PNNS in France and Belgium, and NAOS
in Spain) have identified the need to further the contact with these schemes and align the recommendations
to those already in the public awareness, even if this implies a slight change in the focus of the goals.
Below are a few examples of country actions for the second campaign of
communication.
Belgium
A Shopping memo has been created
to remind employees how to follow
recommendations when buying food
(quantities of dairy products, vegetables,
etc.), with a calendar of seasonal fruit
and vegetables on the other side. The
questionnaire results showed that many
Belgians are bring their lunch to work and
such a tool complements this trend.
Czech Republic Shopping memo
The partners participated in several press
conferences to raise awareness of FOOD
project. In addition, further engagement
with existing national schemes have been
formed to align the recommendations to
those already in the public awareness to
raise the profile of the FOOD project.
France
For its second campaign, France has adapted
tools created in Belgium in 2009, adjusting
them to French recommendations. The
results were the production of two sets of
cards and a poster.
Set of cards
19

22. Italy
Following the results of the evaluation
questionnaire, regarding the advantage
of using the meal voucher as a
communication tool to employees,
it has been decided that the ten
recommendations would be displayed
Meal voucher from April 2011 to February 2012. One
detachable healthy advice in the meal
voucher booklet would be available
each month.
Spain
A window sticker has been created
to indicate a restaurant is part of
the FOOD network. It also highlights
the close relationship between the
Gustino label and the FOOD European
programme.
Window sticker Sweden
Swedish wished to increase the
dialogue between the customers in a
restaurant environment. They have
designed “table talkers” that mean to
encourage discussions around the table
on food related topics. Initially, 5 “table
talkers” are produced in the following
topics:
Hunger and satiety
The different and sometimes
confusing health messages
What is needed for human energy/
initiative/power
Distillation of all the good advice
into one super advice
Table talk
er
Salt
20

23. The future of FOOD
At the end of the two years in which the project has been running, the partners who are committed to its
goals have decided to take advantage of its achievements and create the FOOD programme. The programme
will enable the consortium to grow to include new partners and encourage more countries to become
involved.
The latest country to join FOOD in its new phase is the Slovak Republic. It has joined in February 2011,
launching a set of tools adapted to its national specifications.The Slovak Public Health Authority has provided
the nutritional recommendations and Edenred Slovakia has redesigned existing tools while also adding new
tools, such as a dedicated Facebook page.
One of the strengths of the project has been the partnerships formed
between the public and private members of the consortium.
Any new countries joining who are interested in the methodology
and objectives of the FOOD programme will ultimately benefit from
this partnership.
21

24. WWW.FOOD-PROGRAMME.EU